Google has expanded access to its SynthID Detector, enabling users worldwide to check images, videos and audio files for signs of AI-generated content.

Pushmeet Kohli, vice president of Science and Strategic Initiatives at Google DeepMind, announced the expansion in a blog post. The tool, which was previously available in an early version to media professionals, is now accessible globally in English.

The detector checks whether images, videos and audio contain SynthID watermarks embedded in supported AI-generated content from Google and partners, including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao. Apple is expected to join the initiative soon.

Google said the expansion aims to help people make informed decisions about the media they encounter online.

“To date, we’ve watermarked over 180 billion images and videos, along with 240,000 years of audio content,” he said.

SynthID embeds invisible watermarks in supported AI-generated images, videos and audio files, while the detector enables users to verify whether a file contains the watermark.

“With the new SynthID Detector, anyone can easily check if an image, video, or audio file was made with AI from Google or our partners, including OpenAI, NVIDIA, Kakao, and soon, Apple,” Kohli said.

“As AI tools become better and easier to use, having clear context about the content you encounter online helps you make informed decisions about what to trust,” Pushmeet Kohli, vice president of Science and Strategic Initiatives at Google DeepMind, said.

Kohli said the company had been using SynthID to identify AI-generated content since introducing the technology in 2023.